Summer 2011, Volume 57, Number 3 - San Diego History Center

The Journal of San Diego History
Fig. 19. SDRPF volunteer doing water quality monitoring on the San Diego River. Photo courtesy of the
San Diego River Park Foundation.
taking place on several fronts. The biological results of FSDRIP were required to
be monitored for a number of years. Both the State of California’s Water Quality
Control Board and the SDRPF monitor the quality of the water in the river. The
number of sewer-line breaks has been diminished in recent years, although the
city still lags behind the need in replacing old sewer trunk mains.
Even the general public is involved in protecting the river, and will continue
to be so engaged in the future. And they are not just helping with trash cleanups,
for there is a significant “citizen scientists” effort as well. For example, volunteers
do much of the SDRPF’s monitoring of water quality that was mentioned above
(Figure 19). This will be an ongoing task. In February 2011, the author observed
both excessive reed growth as well as young willow tree die-off in the FSDRIP
section of the river in Mission Valley. The reason for the willow die-off is not known.
Another example is the effort of a large number of volunteers who are skilled
professional and amateur ornithologists, and who are providing a good picture
of the increases in bird numbers within Mission Valley. This information serves
as a barometer of the total biological productivity of the emerging green belt,
as well as long term time-series data that documents it. As vegetation there
becomes more abundant and diverse, the numbers of birds and their diversity
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